University of Virginia Library

Sleep And Dream Lab: The Facts Of Fantasy

By MIKE RANNEBERGER

Since ancient times men
have interpreted their dreams
as guides to action and
understanding of their world.
Only in recent times, however,
has an attempt been made to
complement the pervasive
fascination with accurate,
scientific information of the
fantasy world of sleep.

Dr. Robert L. Van de
Castle, director of the Sleep
and Dream Laboratory at the
University of Virginia, is in the
forefront of the scientific
investigation. He and his
associate John Trinder are
currently conducting two
experiments in an effort to
probe the mysteries of sleep
and dreams.

Somehow I found myself in
the midst of this research, as
various electrodes were
attached to my face, and my
body was committed to the
"Sleep Disruption"
experiment. Suffice it to say
that I parried a poor night's
sleep for a unique learning
experience.

I found, for example, that I
had enjoyed three dream
periods through the night,
somewhat less than 20 per cent
for the typical individual. My
dreams were usually mundane,
but then people at the lab
mentioned that considerably
fewer erotic dreams occur
under the experimental
conditions. John Trinder, the
member of the Psychiatry
Department who supervises the
experiments, hopes to learn of
the effects of sleep deprivation
on subsequent behavior.

Although this experiment
has practical application
dealing with the problem of
insomnia, the lab is conducting
another, more abstract one
involving dream recall. Dr.
Trinder is intrigued by the fact
that although individuals have
many dreams each night, they
remember only "one or less."

One of the joys of a great
university is the number of
diversions it offers. The Sleep
and Dream Lab, for example, is
among an elite of only fifty
such institutions in the United
States. Dr. Van de Castle is
foremost among those
scientists pressing for greater
attention to the study of
dreams.

"I think they can have some
pretty important messages for
us,' he stated. Van de Castle
recounted a concentrated
effort to recall his own dreams,
which produced some 90
reports during one month. He
combines the methodology of
a detached observer with a very
personal involvement.

Dr. Van de Castle's
association with the lab is only
the latest phase of his
exploration of the peculiar
land of dreams. His endeavors
have carried him to the Cuna
Indians of Panama and
Guatemala to record dreams.
Altogether he has gathered
reports of some 25,000
dreams.

The dream lab itself has
been the site of some unusual
and exotic experiments. For
example, Van de Castle once
acted as the "sender" in an
effort to influence sleeping
subjects with visual images
telepathically communicated.

Although "everybody
dreams every night," we tend
to reflect little on their
contents. Yet, Dr. Van de
Castle states "We can learn a
great deal through dream
content...about personality and
how dreams indicate behavioral
tendencies."

Most people, van de Castle

noted, have a preponderance of
negative dreams, involving
unpleasant associations,
tensions, etc.

Generalizations about
dreams and dreaming are quite
fascinating. Women, for
example, have less aggressive
dreams than do men. Men have
more sex dreams than do
women. "Dreams mirror the
same types of interests,
activities and personality
attributes that are
characteristic of the differences
between the sexes in their
waking life."

Many people report the
experience of remembering
dreams in fits for a period of
days, with less recall during
intervening weeks. During our
interview Drs.' Trinder and Van
de Castle briefly discussed the
possibility of a relationship
between male hormonal cycles
and dream intensity. Such
association of physiology and
dreams has been noted by Van
de Castle in connection with
the menstrual period.

While generalizations can be
made, dreaming remains a
highly individual and
inscrutable process. Introverted
people tend to be more curious
and interested in their dreams
than more extroverted
individuals. Sigmund Freud
accounted for all dreams as
infantile wish fulfilment;
however, recent research
indicates that dreams involve
"a vast variety of motivational
patterns."

The pattern of physiological
activity during dreaming is
roughly the same for everyone.
Rapid eye movement, erratic
heartbeats, and irregular
respiration accompany dream
(Rem) periods.

Rem periods become
progressively longer through
the night, going from five
minutes to from 25 to 45
minutes. Thus, later dreams are
generally more intense than
the first ones.

The University community
is actively involved in the lab's
present experiments. Their
response is evidenced by more
than one hundred students
who have participated, and
presumably learned.

What would provoke a
student into the role of a
guinea pig? Dr. Trinder
ventured: "He is the type of
person who wants to avail
himself of the maximum
potential of the University."